The latter part of the book (300 pages) is made up of an ap
pendix containing gravity correction tables, shipping instruc
tions of petroleum products, copies of reports of the American Society for Testing Materials, reports of the Bureau of Standards, and reports of the American Society of Civil Engineers which deal with road construction not even related to petroleum. A great deal of the appendix can be found, word for word, in the first part of the book. I t would seem to the reviewer that nearly all the appendix could be eliminated to good advantage, and especially that part which has no relation to petroleum or its products.
G . W . Gray
A Laboratory Manual for the Detection of Poisons and Pow
erful Drugs. By W il h e lm A u t e n r i e t h . 5th American edition. Translation of the completely revised 4th German edition, by W illia m H . W a r r e n , x v + 342 pp.
P. Blakiston’s Son & Co., Philadelphia, 1921. Price, $3.50 net.
This fifth American edition is substantially identical with the fourth American edition [see / . A m . Chem. Soc.,3 7 (1915), 949].
Only minor changes have been m ade: corrections of the text, omission of certain tests, corrections oi some tests, introduction of a few of the newest tests, and the addition of an index of authors.
This excellent work is particularly useful as a laboratory hand
book for students, general and hospital analysts, and pharma
cists. A good systematic method of examination for poisons oc
cupies the first 230 pages of the text; the remainder deals with selected special toxicologic analytic methods and concludes with 8 pages of directions for the preparation of special reagents.
One engaged in the preparation of chemical evidence for court trials in poisoning cases would not find in the book much of the information needed for his guidance. Its usefulness in this con
nection would be greatly enhanced by critical comparisons of the various parallel tests, cautions as to lurking fallacies, and special instructions for blank tests. ..
G . H . Me e k e r
Factory Chemistry. B y W m. H . H a w k e s . 19 x 13 cm., vii + 59 pp. Longmans, Green and Co., New York, 1921. Price,
$1.00.
In the preface the author says: “This text is especially de
signed for factory men interested in the study of chemistry as it bears on the various operations in factory processes, presenting by simple, clear, and rapid methods, only that part of Chemical Science which will be of daily use and practical value in such departments where a knowledge of Chemistry is of advantage and often indispensable.1' The chapters are entitled: introduc
tion; valence; definitions and chemical terms; chemical laws;
composition, properties, and construction (?) of acids, bases, and
salts; classes of salts; hydroxides; chemical equations; classes of equations; mathematics of chemistry; qualitative analysis.
This is a wonderful program, but the performance falls short of the intention. On page 4 the student is told that molecules without a symmetrical arrangement are called colloidal, but of course the author does not mean that. On page 9 the manganate radical MnOt is cited as univalent, whereas permanganate is meant. On page 17 Faraday’s law is said to be that "when the same quantity of electricity acts upon different electrolytes, the ratio between the quantity of liberated products is the same as between their chemical equivalents.” The student is expected to know what quantity of electricity means. One might question the definition, page 16, that an alkali is a base of specially active character. It may be true in a narrow sense to say, page 20, that oxidation is the process of the union of oxygen with other elements, but most of us would speak of oxidizing iron or ferrous chloride with chlorine. On page 23 is the statement that salts with the prefix "per” are derived from supersaturated acids; on page 26 we read that aqua ammonia is strongly alkaline and barium hydroxide weakly alkaline.
One w’onders what the student would get out of the following paragraph, page 28, even assuming that it were right:
To illustrate again take the reaction Zn(OII)2 + H2SO< = ZnSO.i + 2H ,0.
In the first place the Zn of the Zn hydrate Zn(OH)2 unites with the SO* of the HjSOt displacing the H2> thereby forming the salt ZnS04: the Zn is bivalent so it will displace the two H ’s of the acid, and will unite with the SO* which is also bivalent, forming a compound which has its two parts each bivalent.
The H 2 set free unites with the (OH)2, forming a compound with 4 H ’s and 2 O’s, which unite to form 2H20 , or two parts of water.
Part of the paragraph on indicators, page 36, may prove interesting:
An indicator in chemistry is used to show whether a substance (usually in solution) is alkaline or acid in its properties. Some
times the amount of acidity or alkalinity is required. Four indicators are in most common use.
L itm u s— Either as a paper or as a solution. Acid turns this indicator red. Hydrates or bases turn it blue.
M ethyl-orange—Turns yellow in alkaline solutions and pink in acids, though it is unaffected by C 0 2) carbonic acid gas.
The pages which have not been referred to are a t least no worse than those which have been considered worthy of special mention. It would have been interesting if the publishers had put in a preface stating why they accepted this book.
W i l d e r D. B a n c r o f t Rubber Manufacture. B y H. E. Sim m ons, Professor of Chem
istry, Municipal University of Akron, Akron, Ohio. 149 pp.
D . Van Nostrand Co., New York, 1921. Price, $4.50.
Professor Simmons deserves general thanks for venturing into print on the subject of rubber manufacture. In few industries has the doctrine of secrecy been more rigidly followed. It is true that plantation crude rubber research has been prosecuted along more open lines, with the result that a considerable body of valuable published work is now available. Research on the chemical constitution of the rubber molecule has also made sat
isfactory progress. Nevertheless, the systematic study of the technical aspects of rubber manufacturing, including as its two chief branches the study of accelerators and the systematic in
vestigation of compounding ingredients, has hitherto remained locked within the walls of the laboratories of the large companies.
The lack of an authoritative textbook on rubber manufacture is therefore not surprising, and we find that in his book of 149 pages Mr. Simmons has devoted 70 to crude rubber, 26 to a description of various nonrubber compounding ingredients, 23 pages to the chemical and physical testing of vulcanized rub
ber, and in fact only 12 pages to the factory handling of crude rubber and of the various compounding ingredients. Thus, broadly speaking, the book has really very little to do with “Rub
ber Manufacture.”
The first half of the book describes in lecture style the chief
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGI NEERI NG C H E M I S T R Y Vol. 13, No. 7 wild and plantation crudes, along with methods of coagulation
and preparation. The matter is essentially a summary of ma
terial published elsewhere and reduced to lecture form. Chapters are included on elementary colloidal theory, the constitution of rubber (a review of Harries’ early work), synthetic caoutchouc, and the chemical and physical testing of crude rubber.
Mr. Simmons next discusses the manufacture of the most im
portant inorganic compounding ingredients. His treatment of this is on the whole quite satisfactory and probably represents as much information as can be derived from the published litera
ture and.from casual conversations with “professional” rubber technologists.
Some of the commoner organic accelerators arc next described, chiefly from the preparation standpoint. Then follows a very well written chapter on rubber substitutes. The chemical and adsorption theories of vulcanization are set forth in a readable chapter, and the last two chapters are devoted to the chemical and physical testing of manufactured rubber goods.
All of the above matter deals with the materials of the indus
try before they ever enter the factory portals, and the author confines within two short chapters of 12 pages his discussion of
"The Preparation of Crude Rubber for Manufacturing” and
"The Principles of Compounding.” In the first of these, we find only a brief description of washing and drying machinery, and no reference to such really important technical problems as the sorting of plantation crudes, the classification of incoming ship
ments of rubber according to curing and tensile properties, the breaking-down of crudes to the proper degree for the varying re
quirements of mechanical, footwear, and tire work, selection of crudes with respect to cement requirements, blending of wild and plantation rubbers in proper proportions, etc.
"The Principles of Compounding,” which are dismissed with 6 pages, might well occupy 600. The matter of this chapter is frequently inaccurate as well as inadequate, as for example the statement that "tensile strength is acquired mainly by the use of zinc oxide and different grades of lampblack,” with no reference to sulfur ratios, organic accelerators, resin content of crude rub
ber, or for that matter other reinforcing pigments such as mag
nesium carbonate and, above all, carbon black.
In fine, the book will add little to the knowledge of the pro
fessional rubber chemist, but will be welcomed by students and graduates just beginning the study of rubber technology. Gram
matical obscurities and typographical errors abound (I wonder how Mr. Herbert Wright relishes the description of his work done in 1834, page 26), and it is sincerely to be hoped that the proof in future editions will be more carefully read. The print
ing and binding are unusually good.
W. B. Wiegand
A Dictionary of Applied Chemistry, Vol. I. By S i r E d w a r d T h o r p e , C.B., LL.D., F.R.S. 752 pp. Longmans, Green &
Co., London, 1921. Price, $20.00.
The revised and enlarged edition of this standard work comes at a time when things chemical are in a stage of active develop
ment and readjustment, and therefore is very timely in its ap
pearance.
Vol. I deals with all known substances from Aal to and in
cluding calcium compounds, the descriptions given being more comprehensive than in previous editions. The illustrations are numerous and are especially well chosen. M any new com
pounds are described, and very complete discussions of some of the more important processes are included.
The reader is informed that the entire series has been care
fully revised and so much new matter has been included that the completed set will require at least six and possibly seven volumes to do it justice.
The long list of contributors, all of whom stand high in their
profession, is a sufficient guarantee that no effort has been spared to make the.present and forthcoming volumes a masterpiece of chemical literature. Depicting the relation of chemistry to art and science, it makes the dictionary of inestimable value to any
one who desires to secure genuine information on any subject of chemical nature.
There is no doubt that the book will meet with a hearty reception, and it is felt that the editors should be congratulated upon the results which they have so ably accomplished.
Al l e n Ro gers
Condensed Description of the Manufacture of Beet Sugar. By F r a n z Murke, Ph.D ., A.M. 5 X 8 ‘/s, 175 pp. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1921. Price, $2.50 net.
The author states that "this little book was written in 1903-5”
***and on re-reading it he was "impressed by the fact that very few developments had taken place during this tim e,” so that it was easily "brought up to date.” Brevity and conciseness in deal
ing with the main principles, it is hoped, will be welcomed by su
perintendents, engineers, and foremen in the beet-sugar industry.
The book is divided into twenty chapters. In the main these deal systematically (flow-wise) with the engineering operations involved in the industry. They begin with a chapter upon har
vesting the beets and related topics. The last chapter consists of "Tables for Various Calculations,” involving formulas, spe
cific gravity, granulation factor, available granulated, tempera
ture correction, and conversion tables.
Ordinary irregularities in operation are discussed and the simple remedies suggested. Practical methods of computation concerning the stations are supplied. Simple evaporator cal
culation is given, and the so little understood limekiln is dealt with at length.
This book will certainly be a good beginning for any worker in the study of the industry. Its brevity, however, makes it in
adequate without amplification in the case of engineering opera
tions. The style is to be complimented for its brevity, though it is discursive rather than clearly summarized as to important operating points to be borne in mind. Classification of the chap
ters into subtopics would have rendered the importance of some matters more evident. The chapter on limekilns, for instance, would have profited by such an arrangement. A few curves would also have helped at various points. For instance, in the chapter on storing, a curve showing the relation of the rate of storing and the rate of slicing would give a means of determining the tons of beets on hand, an important matter.
It might have been advisable to assume a definite capacity for a factory and to calculate the products of each station on the same assumption and not to vary the calculation basis, by assum
ing 1000 tons of beets per 24 hours on page 127 and 1000 kg. on page 52.
There is no form of calculation for tonnage of "thin juice,”
"thick juice,” or “water evaporated.” A little more of defini
tions would have been clarifying. N o indication is given of the labor required at the various stations. The author’s logical arrange
ment renders, in part, a flow sheet unnecessary, though it would have helped a beginner. The absence of an index is noticeable.
Though the book purports to be concerned with American prac
tice, such abbreviations as "70 HL” would probably be more easily understood by German workers as meaning “hecta liters”
than by Americans. M ethods and steps of calculations could be made more clear.
The formation of glucose is well explained, as is also its effect in the vacuum pan. The author shows thorough knowledge of the subject, such as can be acquired only by years of experience.
His points of emphasis are those of great importance to the industry.
J a m e s R. W it h r o w
July, 1921 T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y 665 Labor’s Crisis. By S ig m u n d M e n d e ls o h n , xii + 171 pp.
Macmillan Co., New York, 1920. Price, SI.50.
This little book presents a clear picture of the status of labor and capital. It is an unusually thorough and unbiased analysis of the world-wide change in the relative position of capital and labor that springs from the war and the Russian Revolution.
"The labor problem is more acute than ever, but it concerns the welfare of society more than of labor,” says Mendelsohn.
He points out that labor is not paramount. There are four factors of production: capital, labor, intellect, and mechanical power. The use of power has been made possible by intellect, and power is a greater factor in modern industry than manual labor.
"The European upheaval is not only changing the map of the world; it is not only revolutionizing political institutions by basing them on democratic, or even on socialistic principles;
but it is also creating a new social era, in which the order of society is being reversed, and those who were at the bottom are becoming the ruling power.” Intellectual and scientific workers are in danger of being sacrificed and submerged in the turmoil.
Mendelsohn, too, emphasizes the fact that much of labor unrest springs from transplanting labor from the land "into congested industrial centers, where ideals do not thrive, indi
viduality and ambition are weakened, and the wrorker is reduced to a integral part of the mechanism which he is operating.”
He calls attention to the probability that capital in the future will not have the unhampered powers and opportunities it enjoyed in the past. “Though a closer bond between capital and labor will involve shrinkage in profit from capital, and as a consequence may weaken the stimulus for industrial en
terprise, this will to some extent be offset by offering capital greater stability and security.
“The relationship of capital and labor, while it concerns more directly the two parties, involves a third interest, the public, which is distinctly and vitally interested. Labor unrest is a symptom not of disease and decline, but of life and vitality.
It is the expression of aspirations, and, threatening and dis
turbing as the movement may seem, it will eventually lead to a more perfect social order.”
The book discusses housing, women in industry, the eight- hour day, and the forty-four-hour week. It points to the human
itarian merits of intermediate sized-factories and medium cities, which permit expression of individuality that is suppressed or lost in huge plants and cities.
The chemist or engineer who studies the literature of labor becomes convinced that it pays to advertise. Organized labor is honored with many books and daily front-page attention.
But the intellectual workers, whether clerical people, teachers, university professors, or technical men, receive scant notice, because they give no publicity to their own social worth and economic value. And they make little hue and cry about the straits in which they are caught by the declining value of the dollar. Labor, capital, intellect, these three have conquered the forces of nature, through modern industry. Y et labor keeps its two helpmates on the defensive by its insistence and
publicity. H. W. J o r d a n
Ammonia and the Nitrides. B y E d w a r d B. M a x t e d , Ph.D ., B.Sc., P.C.S. viii + 116 pp. P. Blakiston’s Son & Co., Philadelphia, 1921. (P rin te d in Great B r ita in .) Price, $2.00.
Dr. Maxted has gathered in this little book much information that is of general interest as well as of particular importance to those interested in the problem of nitrogen fixation. The author is especially fitted to take up with utmost thoroughness the entire subject he has undertaken and to correlate much of the informa
tion at present available from the literature on the subject. His
own researches in this field have been sufficiently extended to make important any viewpoints he cares to bring forth. He has, however, preferred not to make the present small volume of such broad scope as the subject would permit and has touched upon only the general principles and the most important data.
The book is written in a very readable manner, and the material is most logically arranged. There have been avoided those de
tails and argumentative discussions which so often lead to con
fusion rather than enlightenment of a majority of readers. The information given is easily accessible, and to the point.
The book is divided into seven chapters, the first two of which refer to the direct synthesis of ammonia from its elements, taking up the ammonia equilibrium and its determination, as well as touching upon experimental work on the catalysis of the ammonia reaction. The next four chapters take up in the order of the periodic system the nitrides of the various elements, giving for each the mode of preparation and the characteristic properties.
The last chapter discusses that very interesting subject, activated
The last chapter discusses that very interesting subject, activated